Iowa Summer Tour, 2009

Sophomore Guard Matt Gatens:

Ciao Hawk fans! I'm coming to you from the bus ride back to the hotel from our first game in Rome, Italy. We played a club team named Ferentino about one hour away from our hotel inside the city of Rome. We played really well, which was surprising with all the jet lag we had from 13 hours of traveling the day before. Right from the tip we controlled the game and ended up winning by about 25 points. It was interesting getting used to the European referees as we were called for a few travels in the beginning, which in the states would have been legal plays. It was a fun first experience to play a team from Italy and was a success for the team. The stands were also full with fans, which I thought was surprising but exciting at the same time.

This morning Jarryd Cole and I woke up around 7:30 a.m. for breakfast at the hotel, which was delicious and full of different kinds of pastries. I then discovered at 8 a.m. every morning CNN (one of the two English channels on the TV) has a world sport show, so I was able to get caught up on the Lakers/Nuggets game from the night before.

At 9:30 a.m. Jarryd and I joined some other members of the Hawkeye traveling party on a mini tour of Rome. Our tour guide, Daniella, first took us to a Monk cemetery inside a church which was decorated with the bones of dead monks. It was a bit creepy but extraordinary to see. Next we saw the Spanish Steps, which is an incredible area with a church and a monument at the top then hundreds of stairs leading down to the street and a fountain below. The view from the top was a sight to see and the area was very popular with many locals hanging out.

After the Spanish Steps we went to the famous Trevi Fountain, where we threw coins using our right hand over our left shoulder for good luck and hope to come back to Rome (or in my two sisters' case, a wish for a boyfriend). The fountain was huge and beautiful with a large statue of Neptune on a chariot at the top. Daniella took us next to get Italy's famous treat, Gelato, an Italian ice cream. This was a very delicious snack and felt good on the hot Roman day.

With Gelato in hand we went to the famous Pantheon, which is one of the oldest standing structures in Rome, a temple made to all the Roman gods but is now used as a church. The dome at the top is the biggest man made dome in the world and had a hole at the center which is the only source of natural light and air in the whole building. The temple was built in the second century A.D. To me, the Pantheon and Colosseum have been the most impressive structures thus far. We then took the #62 bus after waiting for 20 minutes and seeing #81 five times; just a learning experience on the public transit system in Rome.

Thanks for checking in and look back for more updates on our trip! It's been great so far!

Arrivederci Hawkeye fans!

-Matt Gatens

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